Tragic Love
by athrunzala
Summary: Post AC fanfic that focuses on the Yuffentine pairing, this actually is my first publication that was completely written at work, so it probably stinks. Warning: Pairing Yuffentine VincentYuffie pairing if you dislike this, stay away!
1. Memories

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII… Well… Technically I do… but I don't own the original idea or anything like that…. So please don't sue.

A.n./- This was spawned at work while I had some down time. I was also listening to a Nightwish CD, so any dark stuff that may have made its way in was inspired by them.

Tragic Love

By: athrunzala

Operation 01: Memories

"No! You… You can't!" The shout echoed through the empty mansion, making the couple realize just how empty the building really was. The shouting was unusual as well, if you were to know the source.

"But… why not?" The protest came. This was generally how the days were starting recently. After cloud had defeated Sephiroth and the Geostigma had been eliminated, all of the members of AVALANCHE had gone off to do their own thing. Barret went back to working at his oil field, leaving Marlene with Tifa, who was back to working with Cloud at the Strife Delivery Service. But one pair had unexpectedly stayed together.

Vincent and Yuffie had been living in the ShinRa mansion where they had first met prior to the destruction of Midgar. There were several reasons for this, but to go into that would make you all loose interest. The two primary reasons, however, were 1) Yuffie was the only one Vincent would now open up to, and 2) Yuffie had realized that she liked the former Turk. Maybe even as more than a friend.

So whatever their reasoning, they both had a mutual respect for each other. The ex-Turk stood silent. He realized that he was loosing the argument. Again. Beneath his normally stone persona hid the soul of a person who was kind, gentle and caring. And Yuffie always knew how to get to it.

The black haired ninja stood with her hands on her hips in a pose that made him want to kill her, but at the same time, made him want her even more. "So?" she questioned, moving her arms so that they wrapped around her body, which pushed her breasts together, making them appear at the top of the tank top she was wearing. Vincent had now calmed down, as he realized that she wasn't going to give an inch in this particular matter.

That was the other thing that made him love her. She was just as stubborn as he was, if not more. The argument had been over going to investigate the events that had been transpiring between Kalm and Wutai. Things had been happening that seemed as though they would lead to war.

"Because… I… I don't want to loose you…" Yuffie was taken by surprise with this remark. She had never heard this much concern in his voice before. "What do you mean," she questioned.

The gunman looked back at her. "Look. I already lost one person to ShinRa's bullshit. And I don't want to loose you to it as well." As he said this, she came closer, and sat down on the couch where he had flopped only moments earlier. "Vinnie, what exactly do you mean?" That was the other thing that sealed it for him. She was the second person that he had allowed to call him Vinnie. He looked into her eyes and said, " You had better be ready for a long story." With that, the explanation began.

Begin flashback

The young, black haired man walked though the office building. It was obvious he was new, but he had an air that made people think that he had grown up in the corporate setting. He kept a straight face as we walked up to the receptionist.

"Excuse me, miss? President Shinra said he wanted to see me." The receptionist looked up from what she was typing and walked over to the door, pressed a button, and the door opened. "Thank you, ma'am," he said as he walked through.

Once inside, the door shut behind him, and he knew that there was no turning back. He saw a man seated at a desk, and he walked up to it and saluted, then stood at attention. "Ah! Vincent, mah-boy! Just who I wanted to see." The president seemed to be a lot friendlier than his co-workers had made him out to be. "Please. Take a seat. There is no need for militaristic formalities. We are the only two in here. You can be yourself around me." Vincent looked back and said, "Sir, I was wondering why you only wanted to see me. The rest of my team is still stationed in Kalm. Why did you call for me alone?"

The president looked back at the young Turk, smiled and began his explanation. "First off, this has to do with your father…" Vincent stood up and questioned, in what could be misheard as a demanding tone, "What's happened?! Is he alright?!"

President Shinra looked back, smiled, and continued. "Your father is alright. Now, let's get down to business. Recently, Grimoire called and asked for a group of Turks to be dispatched to his facility. When I told him that I was only able to spare one, he asked for you. So you are going to be reposted." Vincent raised an eyebrow, and then inquired, "You mean at Juneon, right sir?"

The president showed he was pleased with the training he had given to his subordinates. "That is correct. Those are your orders." Vincent stood up, saluted, and proceeded to go to his house to collect a few things.

end flashback

"So you were at Juneon during… the building of the cannon?" Yuffie seemed to know the story, even though she had never heard it before. "Yeah. And, as much as I hate to say it, that was my father's project." Seeing as she understood more than he thought, he skipped forward slightly.

begin flashback

Vincent sat on the hillside, looking up at the sky. the woman next to him was exceptionally beautiful. The moment she entered a room, the atmosphere become much more pleasant. He never wanted this assignment to end. To him she was perfect. She was, in his eyes, an angel.

"Lucrecia, there's something I want to ask you," he said, starting to get choked up. She looked back at him, and said, "Yes, Vinnie? What is it?" The raven-haired gunman walked over to the table that he had set his weapons on along with her research notes. He then remembered that what he was looking for was in his pocket.

He walked over, all while pulling the small box out of its hiding place in his coat. When she saw what was in his hand, she looked back and said, "Vinnie, I'm sorry, but I… I can't." His expression was that of a confused individual, almost like a child when they don't understand something that has happened. "Why not?" she looked at him, then at the ground, and said, "I…I just… can't."

end flashback

"So, then…?" Yuffie was really enjoying this, and, although he hated these memories, he supposed that they must be told in order for her to understand that she was a rare exception to his actions. He was also hoping that this would stop her from forcing him to relive any or all of them. "After that incident," he began, "I was shuffled from job to job. We didn't see each other for months at a time. But I never questioned it. It wasn't my job to ask questions."

"Nuh-uh. I don't think you're telling me the whole story." She looked at him with an expression that said "tell-me-or-else". Vincent sighed, and retold the whole previous bit of information with more detail.

"Shortly before my transfer… we… we… were attacked. The target was Lucrecia. But my… father… he just… jumped right in front of her. He… he took the bullet that had been meant for her. He was dead by the time we reached the hospital."

Seeing that he was on the verge of a breakdown, Yuffie leaned in closer and said, "Look. You don't have to go on if you don't want to. I would underst…" She was cut off when he said, "No. I have to continue. I've got… to… finish this." This caused her to sit back, and the ex-Turk continued.

"As I was saying, after Juneon, I was shuffled around from job to job. That was just how I lived until that day…"

begin flashback

Vincent walked into the town and up to the mansion gates. He entered his ID number into the security system and the gates swung open with a loud creaking noise. He then stepped through and walked up to the mansion, where his father's friend, Professor Gast, greeted him.

"Greetings, Vincent! Come, come! We mustn't dawdle in doorways! It's quite rude you know! Besides, there is someone here who you might want to catch up with."

The coated scientist led him into the study, where he saw…

"Lucrecia?!" Vincent knew that head of hair anywhere. The woman turned when she heard her name. She also recognized the voice that had said it. "Vincent?!"

"Well," the professor said, "it's good to see that you both remember each other. Now, Lucrecia, if you'll excuse us, I'll show Vincent to his room." The redhead nodded, and the Turk reluctantly followed the scientist out of the room and up the stairs.

"Sir," Vincent said, "it's about Lucrecia." Professor Gast looked back at him and smiled. "You two will have plenty of time to catch up after dinner."

And, always true to his word, Gast allowed Vincent and Lucrecia to talk late into the night after dinner. "Listen, Lucrecia," Vincent began, but was cut off when she said, "No, Vin. I can't. You would only serve to remind me of him."

Vincent looked back at her. "Remind you of… him?" The redhead looked down at the floor. "You look… just like your father."

end flashback

"So lemme get this straight. She didn't want to be with you because you look like your old man? Geeze. That's gotta hurt." "Like you wouldn't believe."

begin flashback

"No! That's not right!" Vincent was outraged. One of the scientists working in Nibelheim, Hojo, was using live subjects to test Lucrecia's theories about Mako energy and the Lifestream. And, to make matters worse, Lucrecia, who was now three months pregnant, was willingly a test subject.

"Vin, listen. I know that you are against this, but I want to do this. It would prove my theories! If I'm right the Ancients would be reborn." She then fell to the floor in a coughing fit, removing her blood soaked hand from her mouth. "Don't worry about me. Compared to what we could achieve here, this, and my life are inconsequential."

But it was too late. Vincent had seen enough.

To Be Continued…

Next time: When life throws disaster into our paths, how we handle it can determine the outcome. When Vincent confronts Hojo, how will the scientist react? Next time: Confrontations.

A.n./ - well, you see, this was a major PITA to write. I have the whole 30 + page manuscript sitting on my desk, but you know how that goes. So I opted to split the story into chapters. That being that, well, here is chapter 1!

Additionally, for those of you who are waiting, Post Chaos is on hiatus right now. I had to get this idea out of my head. So there!


	2. Confrontations

Disclaimer: I still don't own FFVII. Well… I have a copy of the game, but that doesn't count, does it? So again, please don't sue.

A.n./ - Yes. PC is still on hiatus. This is indefinite. I don't know when I'll have another idea for that fic, but it should not be long now. Please be patient. This particular fic has a definite end. Thanx and enjoy.

Tragic Love

By: athrunzala

Operation 02: Confrontations

"So, then what happened?" He could see that the girl was getting confused, so he calmly replied, "I'm getting there."

begin flashback

"Hojo!" Vincent's shout echoes throughout the mansion. A head poked out of a room down the hall. "Yes? What is it?" Hojo looked just as creepy as he usually did. Vincent still couldn't understand what it was that held this guy together. But, now, he didn't really care.

"You bastard!" he screamed as he grabbed Hojo's collar and shoved the scientist up against the wall, "Why?! Why are you doing this?!" Hojo merely smirked and said, "Doing what?" This only caused Vincent to become more furious, so, as he again slammed Hojo into the wall, he began his questioning again. "You know what you're doing, you sadistic son of a bitch!"

The Turk then turned around, throwing the doctor of deceit across the room. He then rushed over and grabbed Hojo again by the collar. "Oh, you mean my experiments," Hojo finally confessed. "Well then. It would seem that you are unaware of your place in the grand scheme of things. So, please, allow me to show you where it is that you belong!"

However, Hojo was again airborne, slamming hard into the lab wall, after being thrown, yet again, by Vincent, who just stood there, with his fists clenched in rage.

If there was one thing Hojo had learned, it was that you don't willingly take on a Turk. Not at close range anyway. With this in mind, the scientist reached into his lab coat, and pulled out his pistol. It was that gun that would lead to the most grueling hours that Vincent would ever have to endure in his life. The coming hours would also shape the events of the future.

"Hey! Dumb ass! Look sharp!" That was all the warning the gunman was given. The shot echoed throughout the complex, and Vincent lay on the ground in a pool of his own blood.

end flashback

"He… He shot you!" Yuffie was in shock. Vincent looked back and smiled. "But if he hadn't, Sephiroth would have killed me when he was in Nibelheim." This fact seemed to calm the ninja down. "May I continue now?" Yuffie simply nodded in agreement.

This prompted another unusual reaction from the former Turk. He laughed. "Hey! What's so funny?" Yuffie was now the confused person. "It's just… you look so funny when you're confused." Yuffie was now realizing that she did indeed look funny when she was confused. Vincent finally regained control of his emotions and continued. "After Hojo shot me, I remember waking up on an operating table two hours later…"

begin flashback

The Turk blinked. The lights in the room were blinding. It seemed as though they would melt his eyes and burn him alive. He also felt like he needed every painkiller known to man. "He's awake." "Good. Let me see him."

Vincent looked around him as best he could. He was strapped to an operating table. _"Am I in a hospital?"_ It was when he saw Lucrecia that he began to fully wake up. "Lucrecia. Where… where am I?" Lucrecia looked back, with an emotion that Vincent couldn't place in her eyes. "Vincent, I need you to be real still for me. Can you do that?" He nodded, not wanting to upset her. After all, she wouldn't want to hurt him. Right?

"Alright," she said, "what I'm going to give you will help with the pain." "Don't tell him that, you simple-minded bitch!" This prompted Vincent to look over. When he saw Hojo standing there, he tried to free himself from his restraints. "Don't… you… call… her… a… bitch!"

"Vincent." Lucrecia's voice was instantly calming. He looked back over at her. "I'm going to put in the needle now. You might feel some burning." He then watched as a dark green, luminous substance was injected directly into his arm. She was right. He was feeling some burning. But this was an odd sort of burning. It seemed as though he was dying.

end flashback

"What the hell did she do to you?" Yuffie was beginning to get worried again. "Don't worry. I'm getting there."

begin flashback

Vincent could slowly feel himself loosing touch with reality. He also thought that he could hear screaming. _"What the hell is going on? What's wrong?"_ His thoughts were clouded by a thick black haze that he just couldn't shake off.

"Oh my god. What have I done?" He could hear a voice. Her voice. But it didn't seem to help. In his present condition, things were only going to head one way: his.

"_This can't be happening! Why is he walking closer?"_ His mind was racing. This wasn't right. He also noticed something glowing on her arm. _"Is that? Yes. It is. But why?"_ Lucrecia stepped ever closer to Vincent, her voice calm and peaceful as always. "Vincent," she began, "I need you to go to sleep now. Can you do that?" The gunman tried to comply, but there was no way. His body just wouldn't listen. "Vin…," she began to say his name again, but then realized what she should call him now. "No. You're Chaos now. I need you to go to sleep."

As she got closer to him, the effect of the materia became more and more evident. Once she was almost in contact with him, she reached out a hand to touch him. As she did so, the winged monstrosity that was there changed back into the Turk, who fell asleep and collapsed in a heap on the floor.

end flashback

"And, to make matters worse, when I woke up, everybody was gone. That's when I put myself in that coffin." Vincent looked over at Yuffie, who was now almost in tears. "Why, Vinnie? Why in a coffin?"

Vincent looked out at the window and gave his answer. "I felt that it was fitting for a monster to sleep in a symbol of death. That's why I chose a coffin. My life. My world, had basically ended. There was nothing left for me."

Yuffie now realized why he was so reluctant to love. Why he was how he was. Why he… Her thoughts were interrupted when Vincent leaned over and kissed her. _"This has to be a dream,"_ she thought. But it was no dream, as she quickly realized. She broke off the kiss long enough to ask him one question. "Vincent, was that why you were so reluctant to open up before?" The raven haired man nodded. "Then let's start things over." Yuffie leaned in and returned his kiss. The two sat on the couch for what seemed like hours.

To the innocent passerby, the scene would seem innocent enough, but to those who actually knew the couple, this was very out of character for both of them. But they would have learned to accept it in time. They would also be relieved. Here they were, the last two people to join AVALANCHE, finally connecting, as nobody ever thought they would.

The harbinger of Chaos broke the kiss for the second time, removing his head wrap, allowing Yuffie to see something that hadn't been visible in years. Additionally, without his hair held back, it was quite apparent that he was in serious need of a haircut. "Oh, so they do exist." Yuffie was shocked. All these years, she thought that he covered his forehead because he had no eyebrows. "All these years, you had that portion of your head covered, so I thought that you had no eyebrows. You know. I thought that they had been burned off." Vincent looked back. "No. It wasn't that. You see, it was my emotions that got me into a deeper mess than I ever wanted to be in. So I hid them." Yuffie looked back at him and smiled. "But you should know by now that you can't hide your emotions." Vincent, now relieved, simply leaned in and started the kiss again.

To Be Continued…

Next Time: When you love, it should be for all the right reasons. Vincent knows now that Yuffie truly loves him. Not because she needs to fill an empty void in her life, but for who he is. When she is kidnapped, Vincent's reactions could mean the difference between life and death. Next time: Savior Comes Late.

A.n./ - Well, that's just my idea of torture. You know, I don't like writing cliffs anymore than any other author, but it was just one of those things that has to happen. Just for those of you who, as a result of this fic, began reading the DoC script, the events of the flashbacks were based on the flashbacks in the game. They are more than likely the wrong sequence of events, and therefore fictional.

Also, life has thrown several paradoxes my way. I have to deal with them before I will be able to continue anything. The upside is, they should only take a few hours to handle, so if I continue to write more of this story. But just to be safe, I'll post more tomorrow. That's just how it works. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

See ya next time!

- athrun


	3. Savior Comes Late

Disclaimer: I seriously don't own FFVII. So there. Haha! Okay. Now I've lost it. But seriously, folks. I don't own FFVII, so please don't due me.

A.n./- Okay. Well, issues resolved. But that is a good thing. Because this means that I can write more! In any case, here is the last part of the official fic.

Tragic Love

By: athrunzala

Operation 03: Savior Comes Late

When the clock rang in the hallway, it nearly scared the couple to death. They walked out into the hallway and looked. 11 PM. "So, Yuffie," Vincent asked, "You hungry?" The Wutain nodded an affirmative. "So," she inquired, "whose turn is it this time?" The ex-Turk ran the figures in his head. "Let's see," he said, "It's an even numbered day, but I owe you one, so… It's my turn." The unlikely couple went towards the kitchen. Of course, it became obvious that neither of them had food on their minds when they walked past the dining room and into a spare bedroom.

(A.n./- Ha ha. That's what all of you perverts get. I can't post that kind of stuff here. you would have to email me for a perverse version. Which I really don't plan on writing!)

Outside the mansion, two men were watching this all unfold. From their vantage point, they could see everything that was happening inside. Of course, they were aided by the single, large, clean window in the room. "Hey, you, uh, might wanna take a look at this." The pair had worked together for several years, and had been partners since they began working for ShinRa.

Even though they had no idea as to why they had been given the task of monitoring the couple, Reno and Rude were there. They were not about to disobey the president's orders. There was no way they would do that. There were reasons for them always being assigned to each other, but that was irrelevant. "Let's go, Reno. This isn't something we need to be monitoring." Despite the fact that Reno was a bit of a slob, and a snoop, he didn't want to see anymore of the couple's actions either. So the two Turks went into town to get something to eat. However, Reno's phone would ensure that they would not get to eat. Especially not when the call came from their newest allies.

Outside of Nibelheim, a motorcycle and its rider were under attack from a group of Shadow Creepers. Of course, the rider was doing his best to keep the creatures off of his bike. _"Why is it always me?"_

Cloud was justified in his wondering. Every time he went to visit Zack's grave, he got attacked. And the cycle was getting old. To top things off, Barret was following him, shooting the creatures. Of course, neither one was making much headway.

"Dammit, Cloud! These bastards just don't know when the hell to quit!" Barret, who lost his temper easily had gone and done it again. "Cool it, Barret. We're almost there." That was how Cloud was. Level headed. At least, until it came to fighting. Once a fight became involved, the blonde was as deadly as they come.

Of course, they weren't the only ones with creature trouble. On the Sierra, Tifa and Red XIII were busy keeping some Shadow Striders, which are a smaller, bipedal version of the Shadow Creeper, at bay. Somehow, the creatures had found their way onboard the airship, and were trying to destroy the engines when the Brunette and her four-legged companion discovered them. Cid had also found that he was spending most of his time fighting as opposed to actually flying the ship, so he had left one of the crew in charge of the bridge.

"Damn! These critters are everywhere!" This was justified as the creatures seemed to be coming from every direction. "Just keep your wits and they'll be killed, that's for sure." It wasn't long before the creatures had the trio backed into a corner. Of course, relief was on the way.

Back at the ShinRa mansion, Vincent and Yuffie were asleep, obviously exhausted from their activities, which is why they didn't notice a small group of Shadow Striders entering the building. However, by the time the creatures had reached the room where they were, Vincent had woken up and had his usual piece of equipment. So there he stood, waiting for them, Cerberus in hand. The pair had barely reached the door when one was taken down by a volley of bullets. The second, now aware of his partner's vaporization, moved closer to the door. Another volley, and the second creature collapsed. However, the first creature had now become two, and they were advancing on the door again.

Again, they were vaporized, only to rise again moments later. The second had now undergone the same transformation, and they were assisting the first two in destroying the door. As if that wasn't bad enough, two more had somehow gotten into the bedroom, and were making their way towards a very unconscious ninja. Of course, Vincent was so busy blasting the living daylights out of the creatures at the door that he had failed to notice the two in the room until the air was broken by a piercing shriek.

"Yuffie!" But his actions were only a moment too late. The creatures had grabbed her, sprouted wings, and taken off into the sky. Soon after the two carrying the ninja burst through the ceiling, the 18 that Vincent had been killing disappeared, leaving a cloud of ash where they had stood only moments before.

Vincent, now alone once more, began slipping into a fit of rage, and loosing touch with reality. There had been a few times before now when this had happened. The first time was in the lab those 50 years ago, and others were during the fights that he encountered while he was fighting against Sephiroth with AVALANCHE. Here he was again, falling into a screaming, writhing mass on the floor. His screaming was not unheard.

Cloud arrived in Nibelheim just in time to see the creatures carry Yuffie through the roof. So the screams and unearthly noises that he was hearing could only be coming from one source. As the blonde ran toward the mansion, he could tell that whatever had happened, it had been sufficient to anger Vincent. And he, as well as anyone, knew that a pissed off Vincent was never a good thing.

Hot on the blonde's heels was Barret, who was followed closely by Cid, Tifa, and Red XIII. The sight that they would see next was certain to stop them dead in their tracks. The screaming was rapidly becoming more and more inhuman the longer it went on.

"_Soon…"_Vincent thought. He knew what he was doing. The deeper he went into the pain that he was feeling, the closer to the surface his change became. Slowly, his body was changing. His cape and armor had been coded to his genetic signature, so they appeared in the room and covered his body. The further along the transformation went, the more inconsequential the room became. The ex-Turk jumped onto the roof through the hole that had been left by Yuffie's attackers.

Once there, his body began changing at a breakneck pace. As he succumbed to darkness, his body became larger and his cape split into two pieces, becoming two large black wings. His fingers became clawed appendages. He was rapidly becoming Chaos.

With the transformation complete, he jumped into the air, wings catching the breeze, and he took off into the night sky. He was headed to where he knew the creatures would be taking her.

"To the Sierra!" On Cid's order, Cloud and Barret got back on their motorcycles, allowing Reno and Tifa to ride on the back. Rude and Red XIII ran along with Cid. The group that was on foot reached the Sierra first, and lowered the cargo ramp, allowing the motorcycle group to board. After they parked their bikes, they rushed to the bridge, where Cid was already barking orders at the crew, who instantly knew that he wouldn't be yelling without good reason. "What's the plan, captain?" Reno asked sarcastically. "Follow his batty ass!" was Cid's reply. All things in place, the airship lifted off, following Vincent.

"Cid," Cloud inquired, "where are we headed?" In the years since Sephiroth's defeat, the blonde had not changed much. His garb, however, had undergone a few changes. He no longer wore the black cloth at his waist. Additionally, if you looked close enough, you would notice the necklace that he now wore. He kept it tucked into his shirt for fear of loosing it and it's pendant. He had finally worked up the courage to ask Tifa to marry him, and they were awaiting their wedding day with the same energy that causes a student to eagerly look forward to summer vacation. "We're gonna follow him, and we're gonna help him. He's got friends." Barret looked concerned. "He gets the same fifteen minutes I gave Cloud." At hearing this, Reno finally spoke up. "He's our buddy, right? If we don't help him, who will?" Cid handed the helm over to a crewmember, and stepped down to join the rest of AVALANCHE. "So, where we headin'?"

The answer came in the form of Cait Sith's voice over the intercom. "Hey! Thar's an ood energee soource coming froom thee ahld reahctor!" The group all looked at each other. Even though it was highly unlikely, they thought that a small group should go and check it out, so Barret, Red, and Tifa volunteered to go and investigate. The rest were to go on and follow their enraged friend to his final destination.

At Juneon, Vincent was in a holding cell. Try as he might, he could not escape. Three days without anything to eat and or drink had taken their toll, weakening him to the point where he was about as much of a threat as a slug is to a monkey. "Where am I?"

He had no recollection of anything that had happened since he landed outside of the city. But he had tracked the creatures this far, so he couldn't be wrong about this place, could he? "Where the hell is Yuffie?" A guard came forward, hit his with the but of his rifle, and jeered, "You'll see your little whore soon enough, you freak. But for now, shut yer fuckin' trap."

Back at the Mako Reactor, Barret was confused. The energy signal had been nothing more than a lesser dragon, which meant that Vincent wasn't there. He got on his bike's radio, and made a transmission to the Sierra. "Listen, that signal was nothin' more than a damn dragon. We're gonna stay at Nibelheim, though. See if he comes back at all."

Cid was only slightly worried. "Now where?" Reno looked back and grinned. "I got an idea. What about Juneon?" Cloud was confused. "Why Juneon?" "Oh, that's easy," the red head said, "That was where he first met Lucrecia."

Of course they were all shocked that Reno knew anything about Lucrecia. They didn't think that Reno and Rude were in on that particular bit of information. "How," the blonde sword fighter inquired, "do you know about Lucrecia?" Rude covered for Reno, who he could tell was about to say something extremely stupid. "The boss let us read his file. Everything from the JENOVA project is now public domain." Cid then took control again. "Okay! Let's go! Juneon, here we come!" The intercom crackled once more. "Keep in touch, alright, spiky?" "You got it, Barret." The Sierra then headed off to Juneon, and, hopefully to their friends.

The raven-haired man looked out from the barred window of his cell. He knew what they were going to do. They would starve him, and then, in the depths of his weakness, they would kill him. "Yuffie, I'm so sorry. I couldn't save you," he said, turning away from the blinding daylight. He was snapped out of his trance when he heard his name come from the cell to his left. When he looked over and saw nothing, he assumed that he was hallucinating, and sat in the corner to try and sleep.

When his name again drifted through the bars, he walked closer and answered. "Hello," he inquired into the neighboring cell. "Heya, Vin," came the response. Only one person was allowed to call him Vin. And that was Yuffie. "Yuffie! Are you alright? What have they done to you? What's happened?" He had a million questions, but her attempts to move forward stopped him.

"Vinnie, honey, can you stand up again?" Vincent nodded. "Good. Please help me up." The two then used each other to stand up. Just as they were beginning to fall back again, the bars slid into the ground, and they both fell into Vincent's cell. "Enjoy your last moments together, ya freaks." Yuffie's body was now motionless in his arms, and Vincent was certain that she had died. But he knew the truth. They would both be dead in a couple of hours if neither one got anything to eat.

Meanwhile, Cloud and Co were busy cleaning up wave after wave of guard. They knew that this many guards meant a high security risk and that could only mean one thing. Vincent and Yuffie. However, they were making little or no headway. And even Reno was starting to get tired.

Back in the cell, Vincent had found enough strength to move both him and Yuffie into the back corner. There they sat and waited. Waited for help that would probably come only moments later. But those few moments would take their toll. Both emotionally and physically. They would be dead before anybody would find them.

Cloud arrived at the holding cells just as Reno detonated his last bomb, taking the remaining guards on a ride into the ocean below. "They're in here!"

Cloud and Rude rushed into the cell to retrieve their friends, only to walk out seconds later with two motionless bodies, confirming Reno's worst fears. They were too late. Their friends were dead.

As the two had died together, the group felt that it was appropriate that they were buried together where they had first met, underneath the ShinRa Mansion. The burial was brief, with only a small group of mourners. But if one looked close enough, before they closed the coffin, there was a smile on Vincent's face.

FIN?

A.n./- Alright. So I'm probably gonna write an epilogue for this, but I don't know. it all depends on reader response. Or maybe I'll write one for the hell of it. If I do I do, if I don't, I don't. that's how it works.


	4. Special Chapter: Tributes

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII. That's final!

A.n./- well, this is the final thing I'm doing with this particular fic! It's really been an adventure. Thanks to all of my supporters who stayed beside me during this endeavor.

Tragic Love

By: athrunzala

Special Operation 01: Tributes

Several weeks had passed, but everybody was still finding it hard to believe. They had been alive long enough to realize how they felt, and then, without warning, were taken away from each other. True, they knew that the couple was in good company now, but that did very little to reassure them. Since then, Cloud and Tifa had gotten married, and they were living in Nibelheim, and AVALANCHE, along with the Turks, were fixing the Shinra Mansion and restoring it to how it had been when Cloud had first been there, all those years ago.

Of course, the passage way to the basement laboratory was being guarded by the ever watchful Red XIII.

Cid had found a way to pay his respects to the couple. Namely, by helping to end the turmoil between Kalm and Wutai. He then agreed to stay in Wutai to explain to Yuffie's father about where she had been over the years.

Reno was even feeling the pain of loss. On the end table in his house, sat a piece of paper surrounded by several crumpled pieces. This would have seemed normal, if it were not for the fact that Reno was writing something that would later be seen by all. He looked over the words he had written one more time. "Yeah. That's perfect. Just how I want it." He then headed out the door to find the nearest metal shop.

Reno writing, Rude taking a vacation, Cloud actually cooperating with Rufus, the list of things that had changed went on and on. It almost seemed that the two groups had come to a mutual understanding, and this was the only way that they could think of to pay their debt to the planet.

Several more weeks passed, and nothing out of the ordinary happened. No creature attacks, no nothing. On the upper level of the Shinra Mansion, Cloud and Tifa were finishing sealing the secret passage.

"You know. Cloud," the brunette said, " They would have wanted it like this." The blonde looked back at her and nodded. Now, all formalities aside, they finished sealing the passage and left the room, locking the door behind them for the last time. They had lost two of their friends, but had learned several life lessons along the way. Through the strange couple, they had learned how to show love, even when it seemed like doing so was impossible. That was the legacy that had been left by their friends. In that way, the couple had enriched both their lives, and the lives of those around them.

(A.n./- well, sorry, but I had to have an Advent Children type moment here! It seemed fitting!)

begin flashback

The red-head sat with his head in his hands. It had been only three weeks since the funeral, but he had learned some things about love and life. He looked over at the paper on the end table, picked it up, and read the first four lines.

"Lending your light

To cut through the darkness

Sending a signal

To carry me home…"

He then looked over at his clock radio, whose red numbers ticked away with mechanical precision. Seeing that it was getting late, he decided to get some sleep. However, try as he might, he could not get to sleep. The thoughts of Vincent and Yuffie laughing, well, mainly just the memory of Vincent laughing, filled his brain. So he got up, picked up the paper, walked over to his desk, and began writing again.

Around 12:45 AM, he put his pen down and looked at the paper. Seeing that he had covered both sides with scribbles, he took out a fresh sheet, and began to copy the best verses. When he finished, it was a little after one in the morning. The Turk got up and walked out the door onto his porch, where he looked up at the sky.

"You know, it wasn't supposed to go down like that. I just can't help but feel that we were too late. I hope you enjoy your gift tomorrow." That aside, he walked back inside and went to sleep.

The following morning, he woke up feeling terrible. "So this is what it feels like to loose a friend." On the end table in his house, sat a piece of paper surrounded by several crumpled pieces. This would have seemed normal, if it were not for the fact that Reno was writing something that would later be seen by all. He looked over the words he had written one more time. "Yeah. That's perfect. Just how I want it." He then headed out the door to find the nearest metal shop.

Just as he had planned, he was able to place the piece of freshly engraved metal plate exactly where he had told Cloud he would.

It wasn't noticeable if you weren't looking for it, but that was there none the less. To the casual passerby, it looked like a piece of overturned metal that should be thrown away or sent to a scrap yard. However, closer inspection would reveal that Reno's words were on it. Surrounding it, were pictures that had been taken of the two together along the way, which, in everyone's mind, seemed fitting.

FIN

A.n./- Well, that's it! The end. Finito! Finished. I know that people don't always read these things, but you know what, I really don't care. If you helped to push this to completion, then you are on this list.

To my brother, who loves to check my stuff for punctuation and spelling errors that Microsoft Word didn't catch, thanks a lot! My mother, who always told me to finish writing so I could get off my butt and clean the living room… the list goes on!

This took a lot longer to write than any other chapter, but that was because I took some time out to write a badly put together d20. it is also based off Final Fantasy, and you might be able to download it as soon as I remember how to put it into a pdf that can be put on my website. It currently is down, so that's that.

Again, thanks to all my pre-readers, and to those of you who despise this pairing, blows raspberry.

Ph yeah, and for those who would like a complete copy of Reno's Poem, I might just put it in the poetry section, or you can email me for it!

Ja ne!

- athrun


End file.
